Soviets woo Asian nations to talks its allies want

ByWITH ANALYSIS FROM MONITOR CORRESPONDENTS AROUND THE WORLDEDITED BY HILARY DEVRIESFebruary 24, 1981

Moscow
— The Soviet Union has begun a major diplomatic campaign aimed at persuading noncommunist Asian nations to join a conference proposed by the Kremlin's Indochinese allies -- Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

The official Tass news agency reported Soviet ambassadors throughout the continent delivered an official Kremlin message to their host governments strongly supporting the Indochinese proposals. Although the Soviet message was circulated widely, it was pitched specifically at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.